great description

As a writer, it’s like eye candy to see a great description in print.

Sometimes, description is ear candy.

Like today, in Subway, Maroon 5’s song, “She Will Be Loved” blared on the cheap black stereo behind the counter.

I don’t mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved

was that a pick up line?

I took my car to get serviced this morning. It’d been bucking like a baby bronco when I’d accelerate after turning a corner.

Art, one of the mechanics (who didn’t look like an Art), asked what was wrong, then asked me to ride with him around the block so he could see the problem himself.

As I did so I thought about how we teach children not to get in cars with strangers….Fortunately, I’ve been to this shop before and trusted them.

“So, does your husband also drive this car?” he asked.

“No.”

“So, he drives another car?”

“I don’t know what car he drives,” I answered. “I haven’t met him yet.”

God is like my massage therapist

Today I cashed in a spa gift certificate. (Thanks, sweet girlfriends!)

And I realized that God is like my massage therapist, a.k.a. “masseuse” or “kneader of my sore Jazzercise muscles.”

She asked how she could help. I explained that my left shoulder is always in a state of 4-year-old-demanding-of-attention-ness.

Jill obliged and worked it. Popped it. Pushed it. Then moved to another spot the moment before I’d shout “uncle.”

So that I wouldn’t be lopsided (I guess), she moved to my right shoulder. There, she located a deeper, harder, more tender knot.

I had no idea it was even there. (Yeah, um, not sure how I didn’t know that, being that it’s my body and all…)

Then I had this thought: So often I come to the Lord with a need. But then He exposes needs below the surface about which I’m oblivious.

He doesn’t say, “Angie, here’s a Band-Aid.”

He doesn’t say, “Angie, give me your arm. Here [pulling my arm into an unnatural postion to reach the correct spot]. Push here. Hard. Up higher. You’ve got to do it.”

My shoulder socket (and my heart) rejoice. God applies pressure to the places that need attention. He works on the root of the problem, not just giving me a feel-good, surfacy massage.

Many times it throbs once He’s done. (It’s 11 p.m. and my right shoulder still feels the effects of Jill’s attention 7 hours ago.)

It’s His job (not mine) to “fix” me, to get at the root of the the hard knots.

It’s my job to lie still, letting Him work His power with His strong hands.

movie to see: amazing grace

Amazing Grace is the story of John Newton (involved with slave ships before writing the famous hymn) and William Wilberforce working together to abolish slavery in 18^th Century Great Britain. A story of profound Christian themes.

This is an incredible movie I had the privilege to see during a sneak preview. (Thanks, Larry, for your connections!)

It makes me wonder if I missed the day in school they taught about Wilberforce…or if they didn’t teach it at all. Oh, they should have. What a story of a changed life…and changed lives. Doing the hard thing when the world, it seems, (sans a cute girl and John Newton, in this case) is against you.

It opens tonight, and is a must-see. Take your friends. Go to coffee afterwards. Mull it all over.

new fav word

I have a new favorite word: terpsichorean.

1. Pertaining to dancing.
2. A dancer (that’s me and my fellow closet-dancer friends in Jazzercise class!)

Feel free to use it in a sentence today. Amaze your friends.

(Thanks, Jodi, for the Christmas gift of the daily word calendar. You make me look cool.)

one-liners

I love to laugh. It’s always good when you get to that crying-you’re-laughing-so-hard point.

I’d heard of Steven Wright before but Colleen (see below) reintroduced me tonight as we were hanging out in the kitchen after the party.

Enjoy these few one-liners (his specialty) from a whole list of ’em on this blog:

• I got a new shadow. I had to get rid of the other one… It wasn’t doing what I was doing.
• If you can’t hear me, it’s because I’m in parentheses.
• A friend of mine is into Voodoo Acupuncture. You don’t have to go. You’ll just be walking down the street, and…Ooooohhhhhh, that’s much better…
• I had a friend who was a clown. When he died, all his friends went to the funeral in one car.

Oh, I’m laughing right now. My roommates are asleep. It’s awkward. So I’m trying not to laugh. Which is even funnier. I love funny lines that have residual laugh value. Tomorrow in the break room I’ll randomly remember one of these and break out laughing.

celebrating colleen

I’d say bon voyage but it’s not like you’re going on water, Colleen.

I don’t know if 7 hours by Honda Accord qualifies for that sentiment. Maybe “Happy Trails to yoooooou…until we meet again…”

Bye Orlando, hello Greenville (pronouced “gruhn-vulle). You’ll be a southern belle before you know it!

It was so good to celebrate and honor you and what God’s done…and will do in your life. Here’s to a fabulous next chapter! (Um and don’t think Lauren will let you pack little Jack. Oh that rhymes!)

not flag day

On the radio this morning the DJ was especially somber. He was talking about our troops and the flag in this very sad voice, so I immediately assumed it was Flag Day. And then I became sad. I have no flag. I have no flag stand on our house.

I came to work and recounted the morning drive, asking my friend Merrielle if it was, indeed, Flag Day.

She researched it. It’s not only not Flag Day, it’s…you ready for this?…National Nothing Day. What are the chances?

Go ahead. Do nothing.

the well-worn path

Criss-crossed sidewalks jetted out in all directions at UNL when I was a student.

As a first-born, fairly obedient girl, I’d follow the pavement to my advertising classes. (Sometimes walking, sometimes biking and sometimes in a full-out sprint if I was running late.)

But then there was that one dirt path.

You know what I’m talking about: The path that everyone walked, voting with their feet that the administration missed a landscaping memo. That they didn’t like their options.

My life bears marks of similar well-worn paths.

The paths I walk, I march down, voting with my heart that God missed a memo; that I don’t like His options. Instead I follow shortcuts that offer empty promises that I can get where I want to go faster. Easier.

But that’s changing. God beckons me to tred on firm ground that He’s prepared for me. To trust Him that He knows where I need to go and how best to get me there.

Oh, it’s hard.

I wish I could just say, “I’ll never go down that again.” But I can’t.

What I can say is, “This is the choice in front of me, Lord. You or the hard dirt path. Remind me that what I really desire is You.”

“And remind me that again in 5 minutes.”

more changed lives

Here’s an update about what God’s doing through the BeyondTheUltimate.org Web site:

Stats (as of 13.Feb)

Unique visitors – 210,791

Visitors who indicated that
they received Christ – 1,368

Visitors who moved on to a followup site – 710

Visitors who went to a special e-mail page where they could request more information – 1,320